![Corporate Investigations: How to Locate Former Employees]()
by admin_lauth | Jun 17, 2015 | Corporate Investigations, Tips & Facts
There are a number of reasons a business may need to locate a former employee, whether itโs due to impropriety or to access the information theyโre privy to, such as insider knowledge about the corporation or other employees. While many organizations choose to hire private investigators to do the necessary digging for them, others may prefer to conduct or at least begin the investigation on their own. That said, here are a few helpful tips of where you can start your search and hopefully find the information youโre looking for.
Search Engines – This may seem like the most obvious method, but in many cases, all it takes is a simple Google search to locate the person youโre after. (Hint: look for news and publications, like press releases, that may include contact information on where the party in question now resides or works).
Professional Organizations – Many of these organizations maintain member lists which are available to the public. Check groups that are closely related to your industry and/or the employeeโs particular expertise.
Public Records – If applicable, you may be able to find the information you need by checking with local licensing boards. Additionally, corporate and SEC filings often contain detailed info, as to litigation records.
Archive.org – This website contains a wealth of information on just about everything under the sun. In fact, itโs widely considered to be one of the largest digital collections of information on the Internet today. Put it to good use.
LinkedIn – First, set your profile to private to ensure anonymity when viewing other LinkedIn profiles. In many cases, a basic search will yield the results youโre after. In others, you may only be able to access a portion of a profile. You may be able to get around this, however, through the โPeople Also Viewedโ area on another memberโs profile.
Social Media – People often neglect to do the simplest thing – set their personal social media profiles to private. If youโre lucky, you may be able to gather all the information you need via the personโs social channels.
Of course, if the person youโre trying to locate has taken measures to keep his or her identity and/or location private, the methods above may yield no viable results. In cases such as that, or in instances where time is of the essence, employing the services of an experienced private investigator may make the most sense.
Lauth Investigations, Intl. offers professional investigation services to help corporations and businesses with all their employee location needs. Give us a call 800-889-3463 to discuss how we might assist with your specific case.
![Corporate Investigations: How to Locate Former Employees]()
by admin_lauth | Jun 15, 2015 | Tips & Facts
Few situations in life are more tumultuous and emotionally charged than that of a child custody battle. It can be even more upsetting when one parent lacks the capacity to provide a safe, healthy environment for the child or children in question. Unfortunately, scenarios such as these can be difficult to prove on your own. Thatโs when the help of a qualified, experienced private investigator can help. Hereโs how.
In-Depth Background Investigation – In many cases, itโs not only the other parent that is potentially placing the child or children in danger, but those with whom he or she associates or resides. A private investigator can conduct comprehensive background investigations on every party in question to uncover any potential evidence of a problem.
Video/Photographic Evidence – You may be confident that your former partner is not acting appropriately or lacks the responsibility to adequately care for your children, but convincing a judge of this can be challenging. Unless, of course, you have evidence. A skilled private investigator can gather the pictures and videos necessary to demonstrate that your concerns are legitimate.
Examining Documents – As much as you suspect certain events in your exโs life may make him or her an unfit parent, you canโt go into court without the proper documentation. Unfortunately, snooping around to dig up information on your own will probably not produce much viable data. Private investigators, on the other hand, have access to documentation that you may not even realize exists.
On-Site Residential Evaluation – If you suspect that the other parent is neglecting, abusing or placing your child or children in harmโs way at home, chances are you wonโt be invited in to check things out for yourself. A private investigator, however, can conduct a thorough on-site assessment of the other partyโs home environment to evaluate cleanliness and look for signs of neglect and/or abuse.
Court Testimony – Once youโve gathered all the proof you need, youโll likely have to present your case to a judge. An experienced child custody investigator can provide you with a confidential report that details all photo, video and documented evidence obtained during the investigation. If necessary, he or she can also provide testimony as an expert witness during the case.
As a parent, you want to do everything within your power to keep your children safe, healthy and happy. If you suspect that your former partner is not providing an adequate level of care to your kids, youโll have a much better chance of winning your case if you hire a professional.
For more information or to get the ball rolling on your own child custody investigation, call us at 800-889-3463.
![Corporate Investigations: How to Locate Former Employees]()
by admin_lauth | May 4, 2015 | Private Investigations News
Thirty-five years ago, Nancy Gille made one of the hardest decisions of her life. After holding her newborn baby daughter for only two minutes, she gave up the child that she was sure she’d see again.
“I didnโt tell any of my family, I didnโt tell any of my friends back on the mainland and it was something that I got through and then kind of buried pretty deeply inside of me.โ said Gille in an interview with St. Louis’s Fox affiliate.
Gille was on a vacation in Hawaii when she found out she was pregnant. She decided to remain on the island and have the child in order to keep the secret to herself. On February 4th, 1981,ย her daughter Katherine was born at Kapiolani Medical Center. Although it was a difficult choice, it was the one that made sense at the time.
โI didnโt feel like I was ready to be a parent,โ Gille admitted.ย โBut, February 4th always had a special significance for me.”
Gille returned to her life back on the mainland, never discussing the heartbreak of having to give up her child. After decades of wondering what ever became of Katherine, Gille finally contacted private investigator Hilton Lui to help her reunite with her missing daughter.
The search, which took them back to Hawaii and eventually to Australia, found Katherine (now Katherine Gray) alive and well – and a mother of her own.
โI see a tremendous sense of joy of something that was such a shameful secret in my life for more than three decades to have turn into such a thing of beauty,โ Gille said in an interview with KHON television station.
The Story of Adoption Investigation
The story of Nancy Gille and Katherine Gray is not uncommon. Despite the years and circumstances of an adoption, many children and birth parents wonder what has become of the other. Often, adoptive parents are interested in knowing a child’s medical history which can only be obtained by connecting with the biological parent.
Unfortunately, this information is not always easy to find. According to the Adoption Information Act, parents who enable their right to a confidential or “closed” adoption are provided security so that a birth child or parent can’t contact them later in life. In other instances, birth mothers can sometimes be coerced into giving up their parental rights or rights to contact, especially if they are younger. This can make finding birth parents and biological children incredibly difficult.
Gille and Gray reflect on what’s it like to connect with the past.
Photo via KHON
A New Chapter
Even so, there are many parents and children who want to find each other but don’t know how. An excellent example is Gille and Gray. Even though both parties were interesting in finding and connecting, the span of time and lack of documentation made it virtually impossible to be reunited. It wasn’t until hiring Liu that reunification became a possibility and then a wonderful reality.
โI still pinch myself to believe that, you know, this is my daughter. Itโs beyond my wildest dreams,โ Gille said. โItโs a whole new beginning.โ
If you are interested in getting more information about reconnecting with a biological parent or child, now is the time. Contact a professional investigation agency like Lauth Investigations, Intl. and get a free consultation about your particular case today.
by admin_lauth | May 4, 2015 | Private Investigations News
Although no one gets married with the goal of getting divorced, between 40-50% of all couples end up calling it quits. While many speculate the core reasons about why this statistic is so high, there is no doubt that the emotional and financial fallout can be devastating.
One of the more damaging issues in an unstable marriage is financial infidelity. According to a poll from the National Foundation for Financial Education, 33% of spouses admit to hiding money, making secret purchases, and other financial deceptions. Even though this doesn’t seem as damaging as a sexual infidelity, over 70% of couples who said that they had hid money or lied about their finances said that it damaged their marriage relationship.
Financial infidelity is a real issue, often stemmed by embarrassment about how a person has spent their money. It can be a warning sign of deeper issues such as a gambling addiction, physical infidelity, or manic spending. By understanding how to spot if your spouse is secretly making financial decisions you might not approve of, you might be able to keep poor financial choices and their underlying problems from ruining your marriage.
Finding Hidden Receipts
People who are being financial deceptive often make sure that the receipts for their purchases are tucked away neatly – often in a garbage can. But, if you stumble across receipts that are clearly being hidden (like in a secret box in the basement), it’s likely that there are purchases on there that you haven’t talked about as a couple.
Secret or Multiple Credit Cards
If you’re the person getting the mail, you might notice that you’re getting a lot of thick, unmarked envelopes. Often, these envelopes contain new credit cards which may be used to make purchases that can’t be seen by both you and your spouse.
Cash Withdrawals
The goal of someone who is being financially deceptive is to get access to money that you can’t see. One of the easiest ways to do this is by making a consistent series of cash withdrawals in amounts that might not trigger your red flag. If you are seeing ATM withdrawals for $40-$60 at a time over a long period of time, your spouse may be saving up cash for something that they don’t want you to know about.
Missing Items
Another way that a spouse can make money secretly is by liquidating items piecemeal so that you don’t notice what’s happening. Items of modest value (like silverware, movies, or technology devices) may start to go missing.
Money Defensive
Often, a spouse may become very defensive or aggressive when the topic of money is brought up. They often question your trust and seem disproportionately upset when questioned about purchases that seem unusual.
Purchasing Expensive New Items
Especially if your spouse is planning on filing for divorce, they will want to have as little liquid cash on hand as possible. The more liquid assets, the more likely they will have to share them during the divorce. By purchasing large, expensive items or trips, that is less money they may have to share with you.
What to Do If Your Spouse is Being Financially Deceptive
In order to save your marriage, it is necessary for you to confront your spouse about his or her strange spending habits. Get ahold of a receipt or credit card statement from a secret account. Then talk to them about what they’re doing. If they remain unwilling to talk about their behavior, or act in a way that seems dangerous or aggressive, it’s time to remove yourself from the situation.
In addition, you may need to do additional digging before you can get the kind of evidence you need to prove that your spouse isn’t being financially faithful. Hiring an investigator like Lauth Investigations, Intl. is a great way to shed some light on your real financial picture and get the outside help that your spouse may need to stop their unhealthy money management.
by admin_lauth | Apr 20, 2015 | Private Investigations News
Picture this: You are constantly getting bombarded with complaints from your customers about the service at a single location. From rude transactions to mismanaged orders, it seems that no one is having a good experience with your company. Yet, every time you go to the location, the staff seems helpful, friendly and organized. What can you do to find out the real problem?
Unfortunately, this is not a made up scenario. Business owners around the country are often baffled by customer service complaints that are directed as some of their most trusted employees. Although there seems to be some miscommunication, there could actually be a deeper problem – one that requires some investigation to uncover.
But, if you ignore it, it could just ruin your business.
The Importance of 21st Century Customer Service
Customer service is one the most important parts of keeping a business running, especially in our current Age of Information. Research shows that up to 78% of customers will stop from purchasing at your business because of a poor customer service experience. And, over 1 million people share their customer service experiences on social media each week, with over 80% of them being negative.
That means, you can’t afford to have a bad customer service reputation. It is likely to be instantly tweeted, texted, and posted, which could cause huge problems for your business in the long run.
But, how can you solve a problem that you can’t see? That’s where a private investigator comes in handy.
How a Private Investigator Can Help
Fortunately, there is a way to get to the bottom of your customer service problems quickly and efficiently. By hiring a private investigator like the professionals at Lauth Investigations, you can get a first-hand look at what your customers experience on a daily basis. There are a few reasons why a private investigator is the perfect solution to your customer service problems:
- Anonymous – Your staff won’t treat a private investigator any differently than any other customer. Why? Because they won’t know who it is.
- Experienced – Private investigators like the professionals at Lauth Investigations are used to dealing with criminals. If there is something shady going on that is fueling the problem, they’ll be able to detect it and suggest further investigation.
- Thorough – Not only does a private investigator shop at your location, they take note. How does the facility look? What are employees spending their time doing? Is there inappropriate behavior that is harming your professional reputation?
- Follow-Up Plan – In the event that the private investigator finds behavior that is criminal in nature, they will create a follow-up plan to gain more information through records, surveillance tapes, and other recording devices. This can be helpful if the case goes to litigation.
You can’t afford to have your business brought down by a few bad eggs. Hiring a private investigator helps you find the issues that can be improved in your company, and just might save your business in the long-run.
There are a number of reasons a business may need to locate a former employee, whether itโs due to impropriety or to access the information theyโre privy to, such as insider knowledge about the corporation or other employees. While many organizations choose to hire private investigators to do the necessary digging for them, others may prefer to conduct or at least begin the investigation on their own. That said, here are a few helpful tips of where you can start your search and hopefully find the information youโre looking for.
